Source: Pentathlon GB

Seven Pentathlon GB athletes selected for opening World Cup

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National Ranking 2 winner Myles Pillage forms part of a seven-strong Pentathlon GB line-up at the first World Cup of the year in Cairo next week.  The 21-year-old, who was part of the historic men’s silver winning team at last year’s World Championships, has continued his promise into 2019, contending for a medal at the Budapest Indoor International before taking victory at the second Pentathlon GB National Ranking Competition earlier this month. However, it will be just a third individual World Cup appearance for the Plymouth born athlete as he continues his development in the sport.

Pillage will be joined by Romford’s Tom Toolis and Salfords’ Sam Curry in the men’s team heading to the Egyptian capital. Toolis and Curry have more experience on the international stage, and like Pillage both began their seasons by making the final at the Budapest Indoor in January.

After a short break from the sport to finish his Masters degree last summer, Toolis returns to the city where he claimed a top 20 World Championships finish in 2017. An injury-interrupted winter saw Curry return to action impressively in Hungary. The 25-year-old will now be looking to build on that as the profile of events start to pick-up heading into the main part of the season.

Meanwhile Francesca Summers, Charlie Follett, Zoe Davison and Kerenza Bryson will compete in the women’s competition at World Cup 1. Summers, junior world champion back in 2015 will be looking to return to the form that saw her take that title after an injury-hit couple of seasons. National Training Centre based athletes Davison and Follett both made the final at the Budapest Indoor and will head into the new season high on confidence after impressive junior campaigns last year. That included teaming up to take Junior European Women’s Relay Gold in Barcelona. Plymouth’s Bryson finished second at the opening Pentathlon GB ranking competition in January and will her making her third consecutive appearance at the Egyptian leg of the World Cup series.

Cairo is a familiar location for Pentathlon GB athletes with World Championships, Junior World Championships and World Cups all being held in the Egyptian desert in recent years, competitions which all seven selected Pentathlon GB athletes have competed at.

In fact, it is the 6th straight year that a World Cup has been held in Cairo and the heat, humidity and sand, as well as its early position in the season’s calendar can often lead to unpredictability. In the last five years, the 10 individual gold medals have been shared between 8 countries, including Great Britain’s Kate French in 2017.

The competition marks the first big step of a long and important 2019 season with Olympic qualifying officially starting on June 1st before a home European Championships takes place on British soil in August.

The National Lottery funded event, dubbed “Gladiators Return”, will see the best modern Pentathletes from across Europe descend on the former Roman Spa town and will run from 6th-11th August 2019. As well as continental crowns, Tokyo Olympic qualifying places will be up for grabs making it one of the most important events of the season. Tickets for the Championships will go on general sale soon with more information available at: www.pentathlongb.org/euros2019 

Full Schedule

Wednesday 27th February – Women’s qualifying

Thursday 28th February – Men’s qualifying

Friday 1st March – Women’s final

Saturday 2nd March – Men’s final 

Women’s Team

Francesca Summers, 22, from Surrey.

Charlie Follett, 21, originally from Bristol. Currently training at the University of Bath (National Training Centre).
Zoe Davison, 19, originally from Stroud, Gloucestershire. Currently training at the University of Bath (National Training Centre).

Kerenza Bryson, 20, from Plymouth.

Men’s Team

Myles Pillage, 21, originally from Plymouth, Devon. Currently training at the University of Bath (National Training Centre).

Tom Toolis, 26, originally from Romford, Essex. Currently training at the University of Bath (National Training Centre).

Sam Curry, 25, originally from Salfords, Surrey. Currently training at the University of Bath (National Training Centre).

Courtesy of Pentathlon GB